>Do you have any thoughts on how long the cylinders will last? Will they wear and over time will performance lessen? If they fail, will performance be less than the Equalizer? What is the time period for the warranty on them? I have a bias toward simplicity, so I'm wondering if the cylinders are a small gain for little difference in performance.<

Gene, good questions but I don't have the answers as I was quoting Mike, the Husky distributor in my post. But I have forwarded your queries to him and hope he will respond, so I learn the answers AND I can get back to you. Stay tuned.

Bill, I have another question about the straight-line....if I understand how the cylinders work to stop sway, they must exert pressure on the front of the bar mounts forcing them to go to the position they are in when the trailer is straight ahead. True?

Then, if that is true, how difficult are they to place into possition when hitching up if the tow vehicle is not exactly straight ahead?

The Belleville Washers inside the 'cylinders' are cup shaped washers, stacked front-to-front, then back-to-back, front-to front, etc., etc...The cupped shape allows them to deflect under pressure, similar to a coil spring...depending on the thickness of the Belleville Washers, they will deflect, under pressure, just enough for the bar on the inside of a turn to 'shorten', then spring back into shape to retain the pressure needed to control some 'sway'...my 2 cents worth, as I see the design...

Clever design...as the washers fatigue over time - you'll have to replace their 'cylinders', I assume...As for the EQ hitch, as it wears up front, you can maintain most of the original 'pressure' by re-torquing the bolts...I have no idea how these two hitches would 'wear' head-to-head over time...as mentioned, the EQ has been a proven design, over the years, only time will tell with the 'cylinder' design...

It looks to me that the 'sprung cylinders' exert pressure all the time, and so will keep the bars in their 'closed' 'v' configuration...and must be forced outward to place on the frame brackets - don't how you'd do that if coupling from an extreme angle for the 'inside' bar...the EQ's bars are held by friction of the fwd bolts, and when moved apart for coupling, they remain in the position you moved them too...

I have an Equal-izer, and love it's ease of hook-up/un-hook, the 'ride' quality, and it's simple, no-nonsense design - and oh yes, we don't have any sway problems!!!!

I am about to get a new 23FB' Flying Cloud for our 2010 F250. I have two options for hitches at the dealer: Husky's New Center Line (Husky Towing Products | Products) and the more established Equal-i-zer brand. Both are supposed to be good but dealer recommends the Equal-i-zer. Still, this new Husky looks much beefier and has cool "compression cylinders" that seem like they'd apply more friction for enhanced sway control. Anyone have any first-hand experience with either??

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Bill
I already posted about my hitch set up but I did not give the details about it because at the time I could not go look on the hitch and give you the information but here it is, check this set up out and I think you are going to find that it is more cost effective and will serve your purpose.
What I have is the Reese Pro Series trunion weight distribution, this one does away with the chains and is much safer in my opinion and works better than the chain style. Mine with reciever hitch, ball, sway bars, cost me a little under $500.00, but it is also for heavy duty 14000 lb.Reese Pro Series Trunnion Weight Distribution Hitch 1400# - ..

More good questions, which I also don't have the answers for. I've just become an intermediary! So I passed these along to Mike, the Husky distributor, and also gave him this thread to join himself (if he cares to) so we can eliminate the middleman.
Sarge, both of the hitches under discussion (the classic Equal-i-zer and new Husky Center Line) are also chainless-style like the Reese Pro.

The cylinders are designed to last a lifetime of towing. Since most of your driving will be*relatively in a straight line the compression cylinders will not be activated until at least 3 degrees occurs.

The warranty is lifetime to the original owner.

Price is comparable.

Initial set up time is approximately the same. The EQ requires tightening the bolt to keep the rotational friction point optimum. The Centerline does not require additional tightening thereafter. All though both would need changes made to the setup if the load varies considerably.
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And, on hitching up to a non-straight trailer:

Yes, the trailer and tow vehicle need to be in line with each other. If they are not, couple the trailer and pull ahead until the trailer and tow vehicle are in line and THEN attach*bars.

The cylinders are designed to last a lifetime of towing. Since most of your driving will be*relatively in a straight line the compression cylinders will not be activated until at least 3 degrees occurs.

The warranty is lifetime to the original owner.

Price is comparable.

Initial set up time is approximately the same. The EQ requires tightening the bolt to keep the rotational friction point optimum. The Centerline does not require additional tightening thereafter. All though both would need changes made to the setup if the load varies considerably.
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And, on hitching up to a non-straight trailer:

Yes, the trailer and tow vehicle need to be in line with each other. If they are not, couple the trailer and pull ahead until the trailer and tow vehicle are in line and THEN attach*bars.

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Thats one of the good thing about the one I have that has the pad, yes hitching in a straight line is preferable, but I can do mine at an angle. But I have not been in a situation yet where I have had to hitch at an angle yet.

I for one would really like to hear a report from someone who actually uses this new Husky Center Line hitch.

I currently have a Reese Dual Cam, and although I finally have it working good, I don't like the complexity of the thing, and especially don't like the difficulty of adjusting the cams properly. Here's how I have figured out how to adjust it to get it to actually work correctly: http://www.airforums.com/forums/f464...ams-52579.html

To have a WD hitch that is easy to adjust, simple to hook up, and actually works good would be great.

My experience with hitching up is that sometimes at campgrounds I have to have the truck at an angle so it isn't sticking too far into the roadway. Sometimes the roadways are pretty narrow. Sometimes there are obstacles that make it important to have the truck at an angle. The angles aren't all that great, but it isn't straight. To pull out into the roadway to straighten the combination is to block the roadway and make the subsequent turn to leave more difficult. It means hitching up is the absolute last thing that gets done because of some pressure to get out of the way.

I have no plans to change hitches, but if I were, hitching up seems substantially more problematical with the center line. Others would see other advantages in using it. The difference between it and the Equalizer doesn't seem so large to make people run out and change hitches.

I wound up with the Equal-izer because there was some kind of product recall on the CenterLine last Fall when I picked up the 'Stream. The EQ has been excellent; pretty easy/fast to hitch and un-hitch and seems to work really well, though I've nothing to compare it to since it's a new trailer & TV. My only complaint is it's VERY noisy when turning at low speeds. So, many heads pivot when I swing thru a gas station or into a campground, and they aren't just turning to look at the Silver Spud! There's a lubricant that EQ makes which goes onto the bars each time and it helps; apparently, EQ has also just introduced some sort of plastic 'inserts' that are supposed to eliminate or reduce the screeching. I'll definitely be getting some of these.